troops came under fire from colonel william thomson ' s defenses . facing a with ##ering barrage of grape shot and rifle fire , clinton abandoned the attempt . around noon the frigates sphinx , sy ##ren , and act ##ae ##on were sent on a roundabout route , avoiding some sho ##als , to take a position from which they could en ##fi ##lad ##e the fort ' s main firing platform and also cover one of the main escape routes from the fort . however , all three ships grounded on an un ##cha ##rted sand ##bar , and the rig ##ging ##s of act ##ae ##on and sphinx became en ##tangled in the process . the british managed to ref ##lo ##at sphinx and sy
troops came under fire from colonel william thomson's defenses. facing a withering barrage of grape shot and rifle fire, clinton abandoned the attempt. around noon the frigates sphinx, syren, and actaeon were sent on a roundabout route, avoiding some shoals, to take a position from which they could enfilade the fort's main firing platform and also cover one of the main escape routes from the fort. however, all three ships grounded on an uncharted sandbar, and the riggings of actaeon and sphinx became entangled in the process. the british managed to refloat sphinx and sy